The present disclosure relates to a variable resistance memory device, e.g., to a variable resistance memory device with improved reliability.
Semiconductor devices are generally classified into memory devices and logic devices. The memory devices for storing data are classified into volatile memory devices and nonvolatile memory devices. The volatile memory devices may lose their stored data when their power supplies are interrupted. The volatile memory devices may, for instance, include a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a static random access memory (SRAM). The nonvolatile memory devices may maintain their stored data even when their power supplies are interrupted and may, for instance, include a programmable read only memory (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a flash memory device.
In addition, to meet the recent demand for semiconductor memory devices with high performance and low power consumption, next-generation semiconductor memory devices have been developed. For example, a ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), a magnetic random access memory (MRAM), and a phase change random access memory (PRAM) are developed as candidates for the next-generation semiconductor memory devices. In the next-generation semiconductor memory devices, a material or structure, whose resistance can be changed by a current or voltage forced thereto and can be maintained even when a current or voltage supply is interrupted, is used as a memory element.